This post was co-authored by David Szwedo, Ph.D., and Nisa Khaldun, M.A., a graduate student in the James Madison University Clinical and School Psychology Doctoral Program.
Social media use amongst adolescents is a primary means of achieving social connection. Developing a sense of identity and connecting to peers is a crucial part of adolescent development, helping individuals explore their personal values and sense of self. Indeed, many adolescents desire to spend time with their friends both offline and online and seek a sense of validation or acceptance from their social circle.
A recent study we conducted, however, aimed to examine the consequences of social media use that may extend beyond the social realm. A study conducted by our colleagues at James Madison University and the University of Virginia examined how receiving certain types of social media posts from peers at age 21 predicted participants’ physical health at age 28. Researchers found that social media posts from peers demonstrating social ties or connections predicted lower levels of IL-6 (a marker of inflammation in the blood), better sleep quality, and lower BMI 7 years later. The study found that the key predictor of these positive health outcomes was having more active interactions with multiple friends that really signaled the friendship, such as indicating plans to get together, or referencing a shared experience or joke. Simply having a larger friend network did not predict the same health benefits.
In contrast, social media posts from friends with content that deviated from peer social norms predicted poorer sleep quality, worse physical functioning, and higher levels of IL-6 7 years later. These deviant posts featured content that would likely be embarrassing if viewed by a parent, teacher, or employer, such as using profanity or making references to drugs, delinquency or sex. Despite opportunities for some superficial connection through such social ties, receiving these types of posts was also associated with participants having a smaller online social network, suggesting that these youth were not broadly well-accepted. It is possible that sharing such content online may lead to interpersonal difficulties and alienation or be linked to a higher likelihood of engaging in deviant behavior offline that could potentially lead to negative physical health outcomes.
These findings suggest that receiving social media posts from individuals that do vs. do not align with peer norms may have far-reaching consequences beyond individuals’ social lives. Importantly, the study controlled for several other factors to rule out other possible explanations for the results, including participant gender and income, social competence, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, alcohol use, observed physical attractiveness, and history or prior hospitalizations. The inclusion of these controlled factors strengthens the possibility that the social media use observed, and not these other factors, predict the health outcomes studied.
Given how prevalent social media use is amongst youth as a source of communication, parents and family members may benefit from encouraging positive social ties with peers online, encouraging healthy communication, and becoming aware of deviant posting. Peer relationships may have the potential to help or harm development in young adulthood, and with awareness of this, parents and others can help encourage individuals to make informed decisions about whom they interact with and how.
